Tales
by Rainstorm Amaya Arianrhod
Summary: Because you don't have to be a noble girl to want to fight, and not every soldier is a legend. Drabble series Reworking of 'Legends'.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** The first installment of a drabble _series_. _**Please read and review!**_

**Disclaimer:** I'm not Tamora Pierce, I'm just raising Cain in the Tortallverse.

**Dedication:** I don't often do these any more, but this goes to sheikgoddess, who made me rethink No Faith Left For Legends into this series.

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**Prompt 55 Pet Names**

"Marnie, Marnie! The storms are coming!"

I was eighteen then. My name wasn't really Marnie, but the secret of what it had been shortened from was lost. I lived with Da, headman of the village, and my younger brothers and sisters, caring for them because our mother was dead. It had been a peaceful enough existence, my doing all the work and watching my father court the pretty women, and then the bandits came, with their cursed mage.

Storms meant attacks. As I ran around bolting shutters and doors, I hoped that the help Da had sent for would come soon.

**Prompt 70 Forbidden**

I hated not being allowed to ride. Once, when I was much younger, a Rider group came to town to rid us of some spidrens, and a beautiful woman with black hair who commanded them saw me staring at the lovely horses, and she swung me up before her and gave me a ride. Probably only at a canter, but it was just like flying and I spread my arms out like wings, and she laughed at my delight.

My father liked to boast then that his Marnie got a ride from the Queen, but he didn't let me ride.

**Prompt 71 Love and Victory**

They were telling stories in the tavern that night. I found that, while riding was not for the likes of me, serving and cooking in a tavern to earn extra coin was suitable. At least I could spend the money as I wish. I liked that.

I also heard all the rumours, and the stories that the village healer told beside the fire when it was late and everyone slightly drunk but me. They spoke first of the company of fighters, and then they went straight into tales of love and victory and happy ever after.

Fire-lit nonsense, every word.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Installment II. _Please read and review!_

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall. Remember?

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**Prompt 72 Cliche**

Knights in shining armour rode through the village recently. Just one or two: the irregulars by far outnumbered them. I watched them go. Poor boys, they couldn't be much older than me at all.

Of course, they didn't come back so proud. Swords were stained; crude battlefield bandages covered ragged wounds. Naturally I didn't let them go back to their own mucky camp, I was ready for this, I had a whole small makeshift infirmary ready, everyone with any healing skill ready in the village.

Because I know that not every knight in shining armour comes back in one piece.

**67 Anticipation**

The first battle a week gone, and my work was not yet over. The soldiers who were well continued to chase the bandits, although they had destroyed the main strength. I had found a new job to tire myself with; I worked in our little infirmary.

One of the knights took a serious wound. The younger knight, Owen of Jesslaw, informed me that his name is Merric of Hollyrose.

For some reason I couldn't wait for Sir Merric to wake. What made a man who ought to understand battles by now fight while an earlier wound is not properly healed?

**68 Not The Red Baron**

He did wake, and he startled me. I was just sitting and reading- I'm proud of my reading, I was always at school, Ma made sure of that; she wanted me to do something other than be The Headman's Daughter, but she died, and it was too late –and suddenly I heard a stirring, and I leapt out of my seat. The book fell to the floor.

He was looking up at me, grinning weakly. "There's no need to screech. I'm not the Red Baron."

I snorted at the mention of old Lord Sinthya, still a terror-tale. "Oh hush, you."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Chapter three. Reviews are still most appreciated.

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall.

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**64 Guilty Pleasures**

"Marnie," he said, "can you ride?"

"No. Why?"

Merric shrugged. "Just a question. Do you want to try?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Just a question. Meet Chestnut."

I don't know why I let Merric toss me up into the saddle. The next thing he did was slap the horse's rump so that it took off like the winter wind. I fell off, of course, and Merric jogged up to me, grinning all over his face. "I _thought_ so! You're a natural rider. We'll have to do something about the falling off, but..."

I don't know why, but I let Merric teach me.

**Prompt 66 Flavours**

I later thought that what happened next played a large part in the decision that was still to come back then. I walked out alone to see if my friends were all right, a crossbow I couldn't really use my safeguard. I was in the mood to do stupid things.

Laurel and her family were not all right. Their farm had been razed to ashes. I saw her husband and her son's bodies; they had been dragged into the yard and killed. Laurel's body was found later.

The taste of smoke and ashes and blood was thick on my tongue.

**Prompt 63 Behind The Scenes**

She had let the knights take all the glory, as if she knew there was enough to be won elsewhere. I had seen her, though. Thick short dark hair, green eyes, stocky: the commander who had led her Rider Group here. I resolve to find her in the morning, after I'd slept on the idea.

Could I fight? I asked myself, walking home to bring news of burning and death. Could I leave here? I asked myself, making dinner for Da and my siblings.

"Yes."

"Marnie? Are you talking to yourself, lass?"

Well. Not yet. There were things to do.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Once more.

**Disclaimer:** Do not own, save perhaps a few OCs.

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**Prompt 62 Intruder**

"You want to be a Rider?"

"I do," I answered her. I could feel her sizing me up: I interrupted her report-writing, but I think I interested her more. I knew what she would see: long blonde hair tightly tied in a bun, blue eyes, average height, average figure.

"You can read and write?"

"Well."

"Athletic?"

"I do all the work for my family, I'm strong enough."

"Hmm." She sighed. "For what it's worth, Mistress..."

"Marnie."

"...Marnie, don't rush into it. It's not worth glory. Enlisters will come round this area late spring. If you still want it then, join."

**Prompt 69 Persuasion**

She spoke of my enquiries to no-one. Da's fury would have been a wicked sight to behold if they had come to his ears then: I planned for them all to be ready for my departure by the time I left. Not, if Da had found out, that there would have been any use in trying to stop me. I had laid the foundations of my self-persuasion, and I knew I had the whole winter and spring to decide for certain.

But I didn't tell Merric, because I thought he might warn me off, and I couldn't stand for that.

**Prompt 61 Oblivious**

Merric had no idea of my plans, which I grew surer in every day, and I asked him for a few more lessons before he left. He seemed glad of my company, and I protected myself from the gossip with the widely-known fact that Merric had a leg wound healing, and that I had tended it frequently, but the village healer's attention could not be spared on it. I told everyone that I was only ensuring that Merric did not further hurt himself, and behaved demurely elsewhere, while enjoying the lessons.

Though I still said not a word to him.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Reviews are still loved.

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortallverse.

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**Prompt 62 Choice**

That winter was a hard one, and it seemed long to me. I daresay southerners would have thought it unbearable, but I'm no southerner. Merric and the green-eyed Rider had left long ago, with the last of the thin autumn sunshine, and ice and snow replaced them. I pushed them to the back of my mind, but never forgot them. I remembered the lessons, and Merric's smile. I remembered Miri Fisher's steady green eyes.

Best of all I remembered the taste of blood and ashes on an outlying farm, and the choice I made before the soldiers had ridden away.

**Prompt 65 So long, and thanks for all the...**

"I'm going to get out of this hellhole one day," Robby announced, gazing moodily at nothing in particular and accepting a wet plate. "I'm going to join the Riders, and fight for the King! And I'll say to you all, but especially you, Marnie, so long, and thanks for nothing!"

My heart skipped several breathless beats when my baby brother said that, and I felt guilty, caught out in my dreaming. I managed a smile and passed him another plate to dry up. "Oh, hush, Robby. You're only talking so because Da caught you scrumping apples and tanned your backside."

**Prompt 59 Elements**

At the beginning of spring, a caravan of Players came: a small one, but they had a fortune-teller. I reluctantly lined up and paid to have my palm read. Either she was truth, and might guess my plans, or the reading was fakery and I was wasting coin.

I sat there; the woman, middle-aged, sharp-eyed, wearing thick facepaint , took my left hand and studied it. Rough fingers brushed my palm, and there was silence in the tent. Then the woman looked up. "You're earth, dearie, solid, reliable, unmovable. But when you move, your movements are like earthquakes and landslides."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** My heartiest apologies for earlier accident. Reviews would be wonderful, if you can forgive me that howler.

**Disclaimer:** see earlier.

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**Prompt 58 Celebration**

In my village, we celebrated the coming of spring with a festival. It was a little like Beltane, with bonfires (only not for jumping over) and feasts, and would have been rather more like Beltane were it not much too cold to bed someone in the fields, away from mothers' and fathers' eyes. Girls wore spring-flower garlands, young men held javelin, archery and wrestling competition, a feast was eaten, and a lot of ale was drunk. There was dancing, and music.

I danced with no-one; blue eyes and red hair were too bright in my mind, and my choice loomed.

**Prompt 56 Time**

Time was running out; I began to feel the pinch of my choice, but held firm. Nothing I had seen had dissuaded me yet. The winter had been harder than it would have been without the bandits, with stores burnt and livestock killed, and even in my home, we went unusually short. I already knew I never wanted anything like this to happen to anyone else, ever again, and I knew that in places it was much worse. The village in the next valley starved.

So even though time was running out and I had creeping doubts, I held firm.

**Prompt 54 Point of View**

_Thing about Marnie, she's the spitting image of her Ma. Same light blonde hair, same light blue eyes and pale skin, same way of standing that made her look tall. My Timo was a beauty, though, and Marnie's not somehow. But both bright for women._

Erick Woodsman watched his daughter go about her work. His daughter walked with ease, not grace, he decided, and wondered how Marnie would respond to hearing that at the spring festival he had asked Mistress Gisa for her hand, and she had accepted him.

Erick had no idea his daughter would have blessed her luck.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Reviews, as ever, greatly appreciated.

**Prompt 53 Specific Prompt 1**

"You know, Marnie," Toma started.

"Yes?" I said, squinting upwards.

"I've always felt you and I had something in common."

"Oh? What's that?" I asked absently, standing on tiptoe and flourishing.

"We've always wanted to get out and be different, that's made us quite... close, I think. And you know I like you better than other girls. Well, I wondered- Marnie, will you-"

"If this is a marriage proposal, Toma, please don't."

He was quiet, then asked, sounding puzzled: "Marnie, what is that?"

"This?" I waved it. "It's a duster on a twig. For getting the dust off the ceiling."

**Prompt 52 Limits**

Even though I expected the enlisters daily, I didn't confide in anyone. I just prepared my packs, prepared my younger sisters and brothers for working more for themselves, smiled at my father's wedding to Mistress Gisa and walked everywhere, to all the places I had known as a child.

I made sure I had everything I'd need, but I tried not to pack too much. Some clothes, a comb, underclothes and similar necessities, some hairpins, hairties, and a book borrowed from Merric I hadn't returned.

But I said nothing, because I had limits, and one of those was telling them.

**Prompt 51 Magic**

It was almost magic, the way I went to bed one night and woke up with the enlisters' tent set up just outside the village. It was almost magic, how easy it was to go, and put my name down to join.

What was not magic was Da's anger when he understood that I had chosen, and wouldn't recant, just before I left.

Da's words sting me: 'I never thought it of you, Marnie! To go off and fight like a common-'

-No; not quite. What stings is that he choked on the next word- and turned away from me.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Many thanks to all my wonderful reviewers. :)

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**Prompt 50 Epic**

Then, I thought of that journey as epic. It was long, it had its difficult moments, but I learned to cope with it well enough. My fellow recruits were a motley lot. Some I made friends with, those I could not deal with I did my best to handle, and I don't think I did too badly. Most were younger than me, and I guessed this was because most of my age had been recruited two or three years ago, and were probably either dead or hardened Riders by then.

Of course, looking back, my great journey seems like nothing.

**Prompt 49 Cocktail Names- Dumb Blonde**

My ears caught the whisper, even though I was paying more attention to Commander Larse's speech to us new recruits. 'Look. Another dumb blonde, come because she thinks it'll be glory. _We'll _sort her!'

Commander Larse dismissed us, but I didn't hear him though I stood right by him. My friends trickled away, but I spun and glared at the whisperer. I had had enough of talk about green girls being knocked into shape. "Dumb blonde, you say?" I snapped, pretending I only heard that. "Me, or the commander?"

I only realised how insolent that was_ after _I'd said it.

**Prompt 57 What did you say?**

"So," Kuri Tailor remarked as I stood on the fitting stool, being measured so Kuri could pick a reasonably good fit of uniform from her stock, "is it true that you said that about dumb blondes?"

I choked.

"Yes, then," Kuri said, and laughed. "Never fear, lass, Evin thought it was hilarious, and so will the rest of the Riders." She finished with the measuring cord, and rolled it up; I was last to be fitted. "Hop off the stool now. I'll just fetch your uniform."

So I spent my first day the centre of a joke about dumb blondes.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Chapter the umpteenth. Hope you like! :) (Feedback, by the way, is always appreciated.)

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**Prompt 48 Envy**

"You have lovely hair," a trainee I didn't know told me. I was combing it at the time, having washed it; it was tangled and heavy.

I said so.

"You could get it cut, if you liked," Josey suggested. "It would suit you."

I thought, not sure if I liked the suggestion. Then the comb snagged in my hair. I tugged, squeaked in pain, and two teeth snapped off the comb. I cursed. "Yes, I'll definitely get it cut."

That's how I came to have hair barely long enough to tie up. And Josey was right. It did suit me.

**Prompt 47 What if?**

Miri Fisher turned up just after the lesson ended and asked for 'a word, Trainee Woodsman'.

I will admit I was apprehensive. I already knew that Miri Fisher was benign enough, but I'd heard her chew out a trainee for stunt-riding, and hadn't liked it. But she said- "So you did come. I wondered."

"Did you think I would see sense, ma'am?"

"No, I expected you to think about what would happen if you didn't enlist. I hope you thought," she said.

"I did, ma'am."

"What did you think?" she asked, seeming interested.

"I thought... just more of the same."

**Prompt 45 Tabula Rasa**

The Riders was something new. It was leagues of mountains, hundreds of years from my old life in my northern village, where everyone over a certain age knew everything about the headman's eldest daughter, from the way she'd looked when she was six years old to the way she'd run off to join the Riders. It seemed more colourful. The work was hard, and sometimes the lessons were very difficult, and a pony broke my toe in the fourth week by standing on my foot, but it was still wonderful enough to make me giddy.

It was a clean slate.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Reviews are much-loved- thanks again to all the many wonderful people who have already reviewed. :)

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**Prompt 46 Truth and Lies**

I liked the evenings in the mess; we all told stories. Commander Larse told us of the battle of Port Legann; the tale started well enough, but it was getting taller by the moment. A strange woman sat by Miri Fisher as we listened. "It gets worse every year," the Assistant Commander complained to her. "Look, they're eating it up."

"Not that one," the stranger said.

"She's different, but the others!... I won't have it." The Assistant frowned at Evin.

"-but it wasn't just me," he changed tack. "There were many other heroes there."

I saw him smile at her.

**Prompt 73 The Ultimatum**

One day, the trainers had a quiet word with us. They told us that they understood that it had been hard work, and that with a few exceptions we had done well. But it was only going to get harder from 

now on, so if we were having second thoughts, now was the time to think them again and leave quietly. Not, they hastened to add, that we couldn't leave later if we wanted to. They were just giving us the chance to think. I heard uneasy stirrings, whispers, I saw Josey shake her head decisively.

I thought. I stayed.

**Prompt 74 Bed**

If there was one tricky thing, it was getting up in the early mornings. I found it difficult myself to wake, but some we had to rescue from being bawled out for laziness.

Josey was one such. I often had to drag her out of bed foot-first (not easy: Josey was a solid girl.) "Josey!" I yelled one day. "Get up, damn you! The Horsemistress has brought the ponies!"

In less time than it takes a lady to flutter her lashes, Josey was up, dressed, and impatient. "Come on, Marnie! You're so slow!"

"Oh, and you're Mistress Wide-Awake, I suppose!"


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Ooh, Merric has competition. ;) Reviews are wonderful. hopeful

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**Prompt 44 Three**

There's three of them- the Horsemistress, her first assistant Daine (the Wildmage, lesser folk like me call her) and her second assistant, Hildarion. They were out that day as we chose our ponies.

I'd taken a couple of apples, instead of just hopping into the paddock. _You have to make friends with a horse_, Merric warned me once. _And never come at them from the back, bruised shins hurt like hell_.

Josey had one with her already, a pretty strawberry roan. She was whispering to it, its head in her hands.

I looked around at the ponies, suddenly very nervous.

**Prompt 43 Dreams**

You know the nightmares when you're left all alone, the very last one left? I had one of those then, brief and in full daylight, and then a damp nose butted the back of my neck. I yelped and turned; the black pony backed off a little way. "Oh? Oh. It's just you, is it, boy?"

"Girl," Hildarion said dryly. He passed me another apple; the pony was munching the first. "You'll be wanting this."

"Er. Thank-you?" The pony prodded me for more eats; I gave her a second apple, still watching Hildarion.

He had calloused fingers and hazel eyes.

**Prompt 41 Lessons**

I'd learnt to ride with Merric, but my sweet black Pepper and tricksy blue roan Sloe were as like to Chestnut as donkeys to bluebirds. For one thing, Chestnut never checked me for eats hidden in my pockets like Pepper, nor chewed my tunic like Sloe.

Josey was a wonderful rider. She rode like she and Red or she and Rock were one thing. There were better trainees than me, but I was still pretty good, for which I had Merric's lessons to thank.

I learnt then that nothing made me feel so guilty as Hildarion's smile and remembering Merric.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who's reviewed this- rarely have I got such a good response for fic before. :)

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**Prompt 42 Firsts**

It had been a difficult day. There had been lots of falling off, many bruises and a good deal of hard work, but I'd survived. I was covered in mud and a glow of self-satisfaction, and I lingered in the stables, brushing Sloe till he shone.

Hildarion strolled through the stables, light-footed and almost silent. He stopped near me, and my heart stopped beating from a sense of something about to happen, like a thief just before capture. "You did well today, Marnie," he said. My face turned to him; he leant forwards and kissed me.

I'd never been kissed before.

**Prompt 40 Ideals**

Josey found me on my bunk, shaken and caught between caring for someone far away and oblivious and someone very present and aware. I'd washed quickly and eaten little, escaping the chatter and tales I liked so much for some peace and quiet. Josey had come in search of a headache cure. "...Marnie, are you all right?"

"No!"

"What is it?"

She said nothing long after my words had trailed away. "Look... Marnie. If your ideals mean so much to you, if it horrifies you so much that you let him kiss you when you're head over heels for someone else... next time? Just hit him."

**Prompt 39 Sir/Lady, You're On Fire**

We avoided the nobles and they avoided us. We were too un-citified, I suppose, too muddy.

However, there was one kid who hung around while we practiced. She was called Nia, and she had dark hair and a liking for playing truant.

Then her tutor found her. He bustled right up to Nia and started lecturing her. "These lessons are vital for your control of your Gift!" or some such.

Anyway, blue flames started licking at his robes, so I picked up the bucket of icy water I was taking to the ponies' water trough and emptied it over him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** Please see previous chapters.

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**Prompt 37 Who Am I?**

"You confuse me, Trainee Woodsman," the Commander complained. "You were so well-behaved before, and now this. Care to explain what makes a paragon like yourself empty buckets of water over Master Fitzosborn?"

"He was on fire, sir."

"... really."

"Yes, sir."

"And how did he come to be on fire? You're not, perchance, Gifted? You don't carry matches?" he enquired.

"I don't know, sir, no, sir, and no, sir. The flames were blue," I added.

"Blue?" The Commander goggled at me. "Nice try, I nearly believed you. Latrine duty for a week. Sarge, are all the new recruits this bizarre?"

**Prompt 36 For The Last Time**

"This has really got to be the last time, Vania," a man's voice said, and I stopped outside the stables. "I know Master Fitzosborn is... unmentionable, but that does not excuse setting fire to him. You got the trainee who put him out into trouble. Why didn't you own up?"

"I-" It was Nia's voice, guilty-sounding. "Thom-"

"Vania, it was very bad of you. Go tell Commander Larse you did it, please- oh, and apologise, will you? And I'll speak to Uncle Jon about getting you a different tutor, I'm damned if I'm going to put up with Fitzosborn's moaning."

**Prompt 34 Missing**

"Damn and blast," I said, searching around my bunk.

"What is it what is it!" Josey cried, bouncing with impatience. "Look, we haven't time to muck about, we have to go! What is it anyway?"

A dark shadow unfolded itself from the top of a bunk. "Are you looking for this?" Nia asked apologetically. She offered me the book, the one Merric lent me. "I'm sorry, Thom told me I had to say sorry to you so I sat here and waited, but I got bored so I borrowed your book. It's very good."

I fairly grabbed it from her.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall.

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**Prompt 38 The Road Less Travelled**

I held my breath, but Sarge didn't send me back to put the book away or bellow 'Riders travel _light!_' at me as he did to some others. He held my pack longer than the others', considering the weight, and then moved on. I breathed out.

"Excuse me?" Nia said behind me. "May I come out?"

I moved: we had been standing in front of the door, blocking Nia in. She held a pack too. "You're not coming with us?"

She smiled guilelessly. "Yes. Dada says I should go and see Uncle Raoul and Aunt Buri and stop behaving badly."

**Prompt 35 War**

"Sloe!" I snapped. Sloe swung his head away from Rock in front, whom he had been about to bite.

"That pony causing you trouble?" Josey asked, turning to look at me.

"He's determined-" lunge of Sloe towards something tasty-looking- "to start a war-" pull on reins- "with every dam' pony-"

Nia trotted up. She was a better rider than me, despite being less than half my age, and now she patted Sloe's neck and said something soothing in a language I didn't know.

"What's that?"

"It's a bit of the K'miri language. Mama taught me a little."

"K'miri?- oh. _Oh_."

**Prompt 33 The Morning After**

How had I not realised that Nia was Princess Vania of Conté? The blue flames of the Gift, the tutor, the clear-cut accent, the well-made and expensive clothes she wore. I felt like a fool. It was only the 

'K'miri' that had made me think, because what noble but the queen was of an outlandish tribe like that one?

"Hi! Trainee!" I was hailed the next morning.

"Yessir?"

"Look, there's no need to avoid Nia because you know who she is. She likes going incognito, no-one minds it anymore. Just treat her normally."

_Incognito?_ I thought, puzzled, but said, "Yessir."


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall.

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**Prompt 32 Sins- Greed**

"What?" I gasped as Josey hurried up to me, grinning and carrying two berry pies nicked from Goldenlake's kitchens. "Woman, are you crazy, my last punishment only just ended!"

"Oh, hush Marnie, they'll be delicious." She shoved one into my hands- "here, take this-" and scooted behind a tree with the other. I had been snoozing under a tree in our brief break, though evidently Josey had been putting the time to different use, and wasn't properly awake. I blinked at the pie I held as a cry of rage echoed throughout the gardens.

"Aieee! My tarts! You little _thief_!"

**Prompt 31 Virtues- Truthfulness**

"Well, well, Trainee Woodsman, from one scrape to another, it seems."

"Ma'am, I did not steal those pies!" I protested, thinking dark thoughts about Josey and framing her next time someone committed a prank.

"You were caught..." (snort) "...red-handed with one."

I looked at my hands. Berry juice had leaked onto them.

Lady Buriram of Malorie's Peak and Goldenlake, ex-Commander of the Riders, leader at the training camp ('just keeping her hand in', she said) sat back in her chair with a satisfied smile. "Go and muck out the stalls, Trainee Woodsman. All of them. And remember, I'm watching you!"

**Prompt 30 Occupational Hazard**

I stumbled into the baths after a nasty day. Pepper had a loose shoe and when I took her to the smith's had bitten a soldier of the Own (also there on a training camp) for which I had had to apologise and soothe the man's pride- apparently he thought himself an expert on horses, but clearly he knew nothing about evil little ponies –and then stood on my foot. Hard.

"Marnie," a trainee called Ann said, "is it true you kissed Hildarion?"

I blinked at her.

"Gossip's an occupational hazard here, girl." The Horsemistress chuckled. "Get used to it."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** Sorry- had spot of trouble trawling through tammydrabbles archives for ancient prompts. Please read and review, I like to know what people think.

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall.

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**Prompt 29 Restraint**

The soldiers of the Own streaked through the women's baths on the twelfth day of our presence there, prompting towels to be snatched up, shrieks to be uttered and bars of soap hurled. They had only been fleeing retribution for their own food-filching antics, nothing to do with us, but it made us abandon all restraint when it came to Own-Rider prank wars and get a sympathetic maidservant to put dye into the wash with the Own's undergarments and shirts, turning them kiss-pink.

Since she couldn't find a ringleader, Lady Buri came to congratulate us on a job well done.

**Prompt 24 Accidents**

I left the schoolroom with my fellow trainees, laughing with everyone else at one of the others' clowning about. "Goddess, Oliver, are you never quiet?" Josey demanded when she had stopped snickering.

He instantly bowed with an elaborate flourish of the hand- which hit me solidly in the face, right where I had stood on the end of a broom and had it fly up into my face the day before. Red flowers of pain exploded behind my eyes, and I swore. There was a shocked silence.

"_Marnie_!" Josey said, in an overdone fainting-lady voice. "I do believe you... _cursed_!"

**Prompt 28 Circumstances**

"No, honestly!" Ann protested as Talia, a rather timid trainee, carefully smeared bruise-balm onto my bruise. "It was only funny because of the time it happened!"

"That, and you never curse," Josey added cheerfully, swinging her legs back and forth from where she sat on the bunk above and hitting Talia's head. "-Sorry, Talia!- no, Marnie, you're the queen of perfect de... oh. Thinking of a word. Manners. Begins with D."

"Decorum?" suggested a voice I hadn't heard for some time as Nia shot past us and vanished under the bunk I perched on. "If Thom asks, I'm not here!"


	17. Chapter 17

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**A/N:** Thanks to all my lovely reviewers- I only just realised how many I have. God, the reviews pile up! Thanks, guys. :)

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall.

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**Prompt 22 Senses**

There was a loud explosion. It was blue, with purple bits, and emitted bitter smoke. It didn't sound so much as burst on the ears.

It assailed our ears as we were sitting about, receiving instructions for a mounted orienteering task. Every single pony belonging to a trainee, with the exception of Rock who merely reared, either bolted or threw its rider. Sloe bolted, but after the first few hairy moments I brought him round and trotted back up to the top of the field.

"I feel a homily on stupid mages-in-training coming on," Josey remarked.

"Poor Nia," Talia said.

**Prompt 26 Too many perspectives about one gods-blest thing**

Josey was glad I now avoided Hildarion.

Ann refused to believe it was all over, and pestered me for the details I wasn't going to give.

Oliver teased me until I filled the toes of his boots with cold porridge, which to my surprise I got away with.

Peter tried to kiss me one day, maybe thinking that if I'd kiss Hildarion, I'd kiss him. I broke his nose and took the punishment.

Nia asked me what it was like being kissed, and I told her to ask Ann.

I wished they would just shut up and forget about it.

**Prompt 25 What if?**

"What would happen, do you think, if you want home?" Talia asked all of us, surprising me a little because she was so quiet.

"My parents would be _exceedingly_ surprised," Josey said cheerfully."I've been telling them I'm for the Riders since I was ten."

"My parents disowned me," Ann said abruptly.

We stared, astonished. She flushed red. "What? I said I was going to be a Rider and I'm sticking to it. Don't look at me like that. Marnie! Make them stop!"

"I want to be a Rider," said an all-too-familiar voice. I almost leapt out of my skin.

"_Nia_!"


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** Chapter the next. Please read and review!

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall.

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**Prompt 23 New things**

"And these are?" Peter said, peering at the women's undergarments Ann and I had just stuffed into his arms (we girl trainees had all become much closer since talking about home.) Nia, lurking nearby as usual, snickered.

"Ladies' underwear," Lady Buri told him with some relish. She was also lurking nearby, probably to watch Peter squirm. "You'll find out when you're older, I'm sure."

"But... how do we even _wash_ these? Surely we never gave you anything nearly as complicated to w-"

"The girls do the laundry one week, the boys do it the next," I said firmly. "Fair's fair."

**Prompt 76 Research**

"Marnie," Sarge said pleasantly, "Why is Nia riding Japes?"

"She's doing _what_?" I squeaked, turning rapidly from where I was checking tack with the rest of the trainees. "Goddess! _Nia_!"

"What did you think you were doing?" Josey demanded once we'd got her off Oliver's pony.

She grinned at us. We'd all gathered round her; in the time we'd been at the camp she'd turned into our mascot. "Research. I wanted to see how big a horse I can manage."

"Research!" Geoffrey cried. "Research, she calls it! Didn't you know Japes is a wicked one?"

"Yes," Nia said cheerfully.

"Aaagh!"

**Prompt 75 Mythology**

There are many stories about the Wildmage- they are some of my favourites. Some of them were silly- how could a fourteen-year-old bring monsters to life?–but the wild magic was every bit as real as the Gift. And twice as useful, if your pony had ear mites. I thanked her when she used the oil she had on Sloe's ear mites- Sloe hadn't tried to kick _her_ –and she laughed, and told me that she just had a knack with animals, and her accent reminded me of home.

That's not how myths behave, but I liked her for it.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** Once more, and I'm beginning to think a general reply to all the dratted questions about Merric is going to have to be penned. But NOT NOW. I am tired. And ill.

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall.

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**Prompt 21 Irrationality**

_Hands slid round me from behind and covered my eyes- someone whispered "Guess who?" and kissed my neck. _OhmyGoddess_! I thought, panicking at the sudden blindness and the contact- I would have screamed if my throat wasn't closed by fear, and I shoved an elbow back into the trainee. When he let go, staggering backwards, I lashed out and caught his nose._

"Er, Marnie?"

"What?" I snapped, annoyed. Peter quailed.

"Did I ever apologise for... y'know, trying to kiss you?"

**I sighed. I'd over-reacted, I knew. It'd been stupid to hit him. "No. Never mind. Just don't do it again!"**

**Prompt 77 The Exception To The Rule**

""Oh, Mithros," Geoffrey moaned. Oliver shut his eyes. Talia checked her medical kit. I watched Josey check her tack, touch wood, and mount. She saluted the soldier of the King's Own (who'd also been on training camp in Goldenlake, but as a sort of refresher, you see?)

"This is mad," Peter fretted. "We should never have let her agree to try to jump the fence! No-one can jump that fence!"

"That Qasim says he can," Ann said.

"Sand-scut," Peter snorted.

"Now, would _you_ like to be called that?"

"All right, all _right_-"

"Shut up!" Ann hissed. "They're going for it!"

**Prompt 20 Twenty Years**

It seemed as if twenty years, not twenty seconds, passed as Josey and the soldier of the Own cantered towards the fence, picking up speed, and my breath froze in my throat. But the soldier's little bay mare jibbed at the fence, and the soldier was tossed over her head in front of it- he barely managed to keep a grip on the reins as Josey and Red sailed over.

"It seems I lose," the soldier said wryly and with a good grace. "Well ridden, trainee!" Josey nodded graciously to him.

I found myself cheering and whooping with everyone else.


	20. Chapter 20

** A/N:** Okay, so, standard answer to whole Marnie/Merric thing. This is important, if slightly incoherent, so listen up. Are you paying attention at the back there?

Those of you who support Marnie and Merric getting together, it's not going to happen for some time. They're not going to even meet for some time, because Marnie would only get into a relationship with someone she was equal to: inequality is a terrible start for any relationship, and would just screw it up. Merric needs to see Marnie as someone other than a pretty village girl who helped him get better and liked books and horses, and Marnie actually needs to see Merric again and get to know him. Remember, they've known each other maybe three weeks, and a basis for a stable and happy relationship that is not. When they do meet, Marnie will have changed, and Merric will have to adapt too. For one thing, his general attitude to commoners is not always great- re-read Lady Knight if you don't know what I mean.

The whole point of that was basically to say: Merric will turn up when he turns up... and not before.

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall.

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**Prompt 19 Meal time**

"So, if I'm right," I said, trying to understand Josey's explanation of a battle. "-_Geoffrey_, that's _horrible_- so, going into the defile caused the rout because- Nia, what are you doing here?"

"I'm hungry!" Nia smiled angelically.

"But I thought you ate with Lord Raoul and Lady Buri?- Goddess bless, don't _slurp_! Josey, they were routed because they couldn't manoeuvre, and had no drill?"

"Yeah, if manoeuvre means move about. What's this?" Josey poked at something.

"It's mushroom. Have you never eaten mushroom before? Look, I'm beginning to think trying to do this in our lunchbreak was a bad idea..."

**Prompt 78 Nostalgia**

A lecture on mending tack. A hot summer day.

"Mamamama_mama_!"

Sure footsteps and the sound of Nia chattering drifted through the classroom door. "Buri!" the queen exclaimed, with an all-encompassing smile, and I remembered a little blonde girl who was given a ride by a beautiful woman with bright hazel eyes.

I came to my senses to hear the queen say cheerfully "-no, sit down, the lot of you."

I looked up to find her standing before me, and me rooted to my seat.

"You look familiar, trainee," she said, still smiling, Nia clinging to her. "Have we met before?"

**Prompt 79 Dubious Notions**

I stared at the little gold charm Talia was showing me. "I... you think... but I'm not... _why_?"

"Look," Josey observed to Ann. She was probably grinning. I couldn't see. "She's getting redder by the second. It seems to start at the ears, and spread."

Talia turned briefly and gave Josey a disapproving frown. Where the Gift and healing were concerned, Talia was much more confident than when discussing, for example, how best to knock someone out with a staff. "I'm quite serious, Marnie. I know you're not... well... but it's very easy to get carried away."

I wasn't convinced.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** OhmyGod, update! Sorry how long this one's taken, but I've been busy. Also, please not, number 81 is crackfic. Please read and review!

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall.

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**Prompt 81 crackfic**

It was my dream, but I blame Oliver. I'm sure he drugged the cider at the end-of-training party.

In it, I found myself sitting on a rock, wearing uniform and holding a chirruping silvery object. Several men and four_ very _short people stared at me. "What kind of man are you?" one with a grey beard asked. "And what manner of thing do you hold in your hand?"

"I couldn't say," I said, poking the object. "And I didn't think I looked that... male."

"You're a _woman_?"

"What else would I be?" I answered, staring back.

Then I woke up.

**Prompt 80 Realisation**

We returned to Corus to be attached to Rider groups for our trial year. I wasn't looking forward to our being split up. They were the sort of friends I'd never had, the easily affectionate, laughing sort. They didn't always act seriously and I always knew I was one of them. That was always without question.

I suppose I realised then that I couldn't flee home if it all went wrong. Some Riders retired comfortably back home, and picked up where they'd left off.

This had to work out for me. I couldn't live restless and pinioned at home again.

**Prompt 18 Facial Expression**

I couldn't say I was flattered by the expression on my new Group Leader's face. He was of average height, with cropped brown hair, and he looked annoyed.

"Mithros, Evin, you're foisting a trainee off on me? Dammit, she won't last a week!"

"Oh, she will," the Commander said cheerfully. The expression on his face was worryingly mischievous "She's got her head nailed firmly to her shoulders and her feet to the ground. She's a good shot and a good rider. You wait."

The Leader snorted.

"Oh, and I forgot to mention- she's outside the door now. Come in, Woodsman!"


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N:** An anonymous reviewer asked how Marnie could see the Group Leader, and Evin knew she was outside the door; the door was open, the Group Leader mostly had his back to it, and he was pacing around and throwing arguments at Evin, not paying attention to the woman outside, so Marnie could see his face. I just don't have enough words to put that sort of detail in- sorry! Thanks for your review, though. I hope others will follow your example if they have a question.

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall.

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**Prompt 17 Misunderstood**

"Now look, Woodsman," the Leader told me. "I don't like wet-behind-the-ears trainees and I bet you don't like me. The Commander's put you in a right spot. Maybe he thinks you can cope or maybe he wants to see the mess when you don't. You'll have to learn to cope, and I want no complaints. Is that clear?"

"Yessir," I said.

He looked at me. I looked back.

"Hmmph." He stamped off to find the other members of the group so they could meet me.

Did he honestly think I was in this for the steady pay and nice uniform?

**Prompt 16 Habit**

"Well, hello, wretches, nice to find you all in one place for once," the Group Leader announced as he managed to collect his subordinates in the mess. "This is our new little green-girl, probably dumped on us to get rid of. Apparently her name's Woodsman and Larse seems to think she can cope. Idiot," he added, half to himself. "Go on, introduce yourselves," he added after a minute. "I'll see you later. My paperwork calls with the siren call of bureaucracy.

And he took himself off.

There was silence.

I cleared my throat. "Does he always talk like that?"

"Yes."

**Prompt 15 Power**

"Traaaaaaaaaiiiii_neeeeee_!"

I put down the hoofpick and Sloe's hoof, dodged a half-hearted kick, and called back "Yessir?"

"Take these to our dearest Commander, please, and tell him I said not to moan about my handwriting and spelling unless he _wants_ a ferret in his office."

I took the papers and glanced at them. The Group Leader spelt terribly and had even worse handwriting. "Of course, sir."

As I left, I heard a member of the Group, a Bazhir, say: "Rhodri, why do you call her 'trainee'? She's not. And why the errands?"

"Because she gets up my nose," 'Rhodri' growled.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N:** OH MY GOD, GUYS- 100 REVIEWS?! You wonderful people. :D

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall.

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**Prompt 14 Weapon of Choice**

Hit. Block. Hit.

"Ow!" Oliver squeaked.

"You should block better," Josey said. "Don't be a wuss. Your fingers aren't broken. Marnie, tell him his fingers aren't broken."

"Your fingers aren't broken," I repeated obediently, and then looked up from the book I was snatching a few moments with. "Don't you have bruise-balm?"

Then my book was snatched from my hands.

The Group Leader –Rhodri Fletcher, of Royal Arrows- peered at it. "Twelfth Night, A Play. Words your weapon of choice, trainee?"

"Not really," I said sharply. "Give that back, please."

He handed it back. "We're riding out. Get your things."

**Prompt 13 The Morning After The Night Before**

The village had been charred. It had been set fire to, and then it'd rained. There was churned mud all over the place, and splatters of blood. There were injured folk everywhere. It was familiar- it was like home after the attacks. This was what I signed up to stop, right here before me, and I didn't know what to do.

"Search the woods," the Leader ordered. "You're looking for the children who fled into them. If you find any trace of the bandits, get back here. They should be long gone but I can't let a greenie get killed."

**Prompt 8 Too Little Too Late/Better Late Than Never**

I found one not far away. He had an arrow in his shoulder, and he must've been bleeding to death overnight, but his eyes opened and he raised a hand sluggishly when I came towards him. "You... you gonna help me?"

"Yeah," I said softly. "What's your name?"

He didn't answer. "The bandits... shot me... left me..."

"They left you for dead," I completed. "It's all right. It will be all right. I'll make it all right," I repeated, uselessly. He died before I'd finished speaking.

I laid the back of my hand on his forehead. I closed his eyes.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N:** And again. I've been trying out writing without prompts, in case you were wondering why two updates in five days. :p

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall.

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**Prompt 12 For The Kingdom**

I'd been sick, and the Group Leader had noticed. My heart tumbled down to my mud-caked boots. I was for it now.

He pulled me aside- to be fair, at a discreet moment, the man knew not to make it obvious we were at odds –and demanded: "Why did you become a Rider if you can't take blood?"

I stared at him.

"Did you have some stupid reason, like 'for the kingdom'?... Oh, you did, didn't you? Mithros!"

I opened my mouth to defend myself. He waved a hand. "No. No, just go and find the others. Make yourself useful."

**Prompt 11 Not My Responsibility**

"I don't want her to be my responsibility any more, Evin!" Rhodri yelled. Did he know I could hear him, sitting on the bench outside the commander's office, staring at my boots? "I can't have her weighing me and the rest of the Arrows down! Let's face it, she's just a green girl and an armchair idealist- she was sick after seeing the village-"

"-oh will you just _shut up and give me a chance to speak_!" The Commander's voice had been reasonable and quiet, gradually rising to an impressive bellow. "Good," Evin Larse said, softer. "Listen to me now..."

**Prompt 3 Things Left Unsaid**

"You're to go in," the Group Leader said, marching out with his lips set grimly. I got up, and went in.

"I hear you don't get along well with your Group Leader," Evin Larse began.

I didn't say much. I wanted to stay in this group, despite the Leader. I knew I'd get valuable experience with the Royal Arrows and I was aware that Rhodri was a good Rider. His Group worked like clockwork.

"You can change if you want," the Commander finished, eyeing me as if trying to guess my thoughts.

"No," I said. "Thank you, sir, I'm fine."


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N:** And another chapter. 25 chapters, guys! This is impressive! I never get this far with stories.

But what's even more impressive is the sheer volume of lovely people who review. Thank you, all of you.

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**Prompt 1 The Beginning**

My first friend in my new Group turned up after dinner. "So," she said pleasantly, stuffing her hands into her pockets and matching my pace, "You're the new girl."

She was a little shorter than me, and a Bazhir. Her hair was braided tightly back. "My name's Aminah, and you are?..."

"Marnie," I filled in.

"Marnie. Pretty name. I hear you've chosen to stick it out with us, rather than transfer away?"

"Does everyone gossip?" I sighed. "Yes."

Aminah grinned. "Most everyone. I just wanted to say good luck with Rhodri, and welcome." She waved at me and moved on.

**Prompt 10 Normal**

"It's not normal," a voice I recognised complained. I stopped, holding a hoofpick I was using on a stone in one of Pepper's hooves, hidden by Pepper's stall.

"Exactly," another person agreed. I cursed my habit of picking up on others' conversations, especially when I couldn't match names and faces to voices. "Who puts up with _Rhodri_?"

"Other than us, you mean?" Aminah said dryly. "I think we'll just have to wait and see what happens. My money's on Marnie surviving."

"Who's running the book?" someone asked, just as I realised I was eavesdropping on my new Group.

_Not_ reassuring.

**Prompt 9 Instinct**

Always look up. Hurroks, spidrens, and Stormwings all come from the air, and you really don't want to be mauled by any of those. I felt a prickling on the back of my neck, and glanced upwards- we'd 

hoped we'd killed all the spidrens, but no, there was one grinning at me from that tree, and it was about to spring-

I brought my bow up and fired, and then had a moment of panic when I realised that the dead body was now going to fall. I leapt aside, and the thing came splattering down next to me.

Dis_gus_ting.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N:** And again. Please read and review, and huge thanks to all the wonderful people who've already done so!

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall.

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**Prompt 4 Love, Not Actually**

"See?" Aminah said triumphantly from somewhere behind me as I stared at the spidren. "See? Our little trainee can look after herself."

Rhodri scowled. "It's a start."

"Oh, admit it, you were wrong." Aminah laughed. "Ooooh, your face... Rarely have I seen anything so delicious. Pay up, Fletcher, you owe me two copper nobles- I told you she was a cut above the average idiot."

"Hmmph," Rhodri said. "She's decent. Sensible, at least. Neat shooting, Woodsman, but for Mithros' sake don't stand there like a noonstruck bat!"

I later received a sum of money marked 'Your Share Of The Winnings'.

**Prompt 2 Letters**

"Woodsman!" The Leader bellowed, shortly after we'd arrived at the fort. A blue-eyed sergeant from the King's Own clapped his hands over his ears, rolled his eyes in a melodramatic expression of pain and winked at me when I appeared.

"Yessir?" I said, wondering what was wrong now and whether or not Aminah would save a space for me in the messhall.

"Woodsman, you're being sent _letters_."

"Sir?" Rhodri stuffed them into my hands- notes, addressed to 'Marnie Woodsman, Fourteenth, Royal Arrows'. I opened one, and smiled.

"Letters from home?" the sergeant suggested.

"No," I said. "Letters from my friends."

**Prompt 6 Don't Go Knocking On My Door**

There was a yell. And then there were some swearwords. I sat bolt upright, as did those of the others who slept in this dormitory. "What in the Black God's name-" Beth, one of the mages in the Royal Arrows, began. "Sweet Mithros, that's Rhodri!"

"It is!" I gasped, listening harder.

"Who did this. Who did this!" the Leader was yelling. There came a stealthy knock on the door. Beth opened it. It was Mack.

"Did any of you girls do it?" he whispered.

Beth glanced round at us all, now fully awake. One after another, we shook our heads.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N:** I'd like to bring to your attention a round-robin being written by members of theswoop, a Tamora Pierce discussion community I belong to. It's called Cold Feet, and it's about Shinko and Roald's wedding; two chapters are already up. The writers taking part are a talented lot (yes, I realise that includes me, but I can't very well add 'except me', can I?) and I think most people who read this would like it. The link is: /s/4401183/1/ColdFeet

**Disclaimer:** See previous.

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**Prompt 7 The Blame Game**

I found out that someone had booby-trapped the Leader's room. The shutters had been closed so it was dark, and furniture and buckets of water, flour and mud tied together, with messy consequences when Rhodri walked in. Suspicion fell on the Own.

I found myself sitting by the blue-eyed sergeant at breakfast. He was grinning wickedly, and I guessed something. "It was you, wasn't it?" I said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he answered.

"Do I look stupid?" I said, and was silent. "Thanks. I owe you one."

He grinned. "He deserved it. And you are?"

"Marnie."

"Domitan."

**Prompt 82 Details**

I liked Domitan. Not in the same way that I'd liked Hildarion or Merric at all- no, Domitan, or rather Dom, reminded me of a cheeky younger brother.

I don't think Dom expected me to pick up on any of the clues I did pick up on –keepsakes he kept with him, the way he sometimes acted- which told me something I kept to myself for a while.

But then the annoying standard-bearer referred to me, in my hearing, as 'Dom's conquest'. "Don't bother calling me that," I said with some mischief. "Can't you see he's sweet on someone else?"

**Prompt 83 Rediscovery**

The problem with my job was that it made riding commonplace, dull, though I'd once loved it so much.

Then I agreed to a race, and I remembered how it could be like flying, how you could get lost in the rush of the wind, and know nothing else. And Sloe and I shot past the other racers, and people laughed and whooped, and some demanded how a green Rider had won.

I heard nothing at all, because there was joy in my veins and beating with my heart, and I had room in my smile for the whole world.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N:** Sorrrrryyyyy, I keep forgetting to update. XD Anyway- another chapter for you long-suffering lot before I go off for the holidays. Please do review, I love hearing what people think.

**Disclaimer:** See previous, rinse, wash, repeat.

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**Prompt 84 Inevitable**

I pushed the door to the women's barracks fully open, and a bucket fell and landed upside-down on my head, depositing its messy load all over me and my clean tunic. I flailed and swore for a moment, and then tried to remove the bucket.

It came off with a squelch; I put it down and wiped the muck from my eyes. "I suppose that was inevitable," I said aloud, and tramped down to the mess, to where I knew the Own were holding a riotous card game.

"All right," I said. "Out with it. Which of you did it?"

**Prompt 85 You Are Your Mother's Daughter**

"I will swear you look familiar."

I whirled. Queen Thayet laughed, and I reddened and bowed.

"No, please." The queen smiled. "It's all right; I just wanted to ask a question. Come out and talk."

I obeyed dazedly, leaving the stables. Queen Thayet perched on a railing, and indicated I should sit. "Now, Rider Woodsman. How might I know you, or someone related to you? You seem very familiar."

I told her about the ride when I was little, and she smiled, but said: "That can't be all."

Uncertainly, I said: "I was always told I looked like my mother."

**Prompt 86 What's the Worst that Can Happen?**

The queen laughed suddenly. "Of course! You're Timo Konensra's daughter!"

"_I wish you weren't leaving, Timo." _

"_I'll be all right. What's the worst that could happen? I'm only settling down like a thousand other women. Honestly, Commander!" Pale blue eyes laughed._

"_I worry. Get used to it. I- are you sure-"_

_Timo patted Thayet's cheek gently. "I'll write."_

_Thayet smiled, with difficulty. "But who'll whip new trainees into shape for me?"_

"_You'll find someone," Timo said comfortingly, and a smile burst onto her face. "And maybe in twenty years' time I'll send you a smart recruit with my blue eyes!"_


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N:** Sorry it's been a while. XD Please _**read and review!**_

**Disclaimer:** See previous.

* * *

**Promptless**

"I'm... who? Your Majesty," I added.

The queen turned shining eyes on me, and I understood why they called her Peerless. "Timo Konensra's daughter. You didn't know your mother was once a Rider?"

I felt like all the breath had left my body. "No," I said softly, and understood- why Da hated my riding, why he took so violently against my going to the Riders. "No. I have... very little memory of my mother."

It was true. I remembered pitifully little of her.

A good thing that I need only look in the nearest puddle to see her face, then.

**Prompt 87 The Longest Of My Life**

"Thayet-" someone began, and we turned from where we had been staring at each other.

But the speaker said nothing more. Her own jaw dropped and violet eyes stared out, from me to the Queen. It was the single longest stalemate of my life.

At last, Alanna the Lioness said definitely: "I _refuse _to believe that that is Timo Konensra, large as life and twice as cheeky."

The Queen smiled. "Quite right, it's not. It's her daughter- Marnie."

The King's Champion stared at me, and said words I'd never heard in my life. "Oh, you look so like your mother."

**Promptless**

Of course, there was a payback for all this bright new knowledge. It came when everyone else found out, and with everyone else- Rhodri.

"Woodsman!" His face was beet-red; a bad sign. "What's this I hear about you? What do you think you've been doing, who do you think you are, hanging around with great ladies and that reckless spoilt little brat-"

There was a whimper from the door. I whirled.

Vania stood there, eyes as wide as saucers and brimming with tears. Her hair was characteristically wild, but her mouth drooped downwards, half open. Hurt. Shocked. Betrayed.

She fled.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N:** Do poke me to update. I will respond, I promise. I'm just a bit slow, what with the start of school. Please _**read and review**_, too!

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall.

* * *

**Promptless**

I found myself on my feet, and scarlet with rage. "Look what you've done!" I cried. "Hurt a child who never harmed you. I could put up with it when it was just me you were insulting, but this-"

"I'm your commander!" he shouted. Why'd he say that? I'll never know. I believe it was because he knew he was losing his authority over everyone there.

I stared at him. "You dare. You _dare_."

I said one thing more, heedless of the fact that I was ruining my career. "What sort of commander feels the need to insult a child?"

**Promptless**

I ran through the Palace corridors, not thinking of anything but where Vania might have gone, until I reached the royal family's private stables, where I found Vania sobbing, curled up in an empty stall. There was no-one else there; the king and queen were busy.

"Nia?" I said quietly. She got up, and ran blindly to me, burying her face in my tunic, her eyes red and swollen with crying.

"Is it true?" The words were mangled, half-sobbed. "Am I a r-reckless, sp-poilt b-b-brat?"

"No," I said, and felt a cold, hard knot of anger seize behind my breastbone.

**Prompt 88 Unacceptable**

I carried Vania to the nearby royal quarters; if they hadn't been close by I couldn't have done it, because she promised to be tall and was quite heavy. Prince Jasson was the first person we met.

"_Another_ broken ankle, Nia?" he said incredulously.

"No, your highness," I said on Nia's behalf, "Someone insulted her when they didn't think she was around." I gave the prince the details.

"Liam!" Prince Jasson yelled, and his brother appeared and had the tale explained to him.

Prince Liam crossed his arms over his chest, eyes implacable. "That's just not acceptable, now, is it?"


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N:** I'm a bad person who needs reminding to update. Sorry. _**Please read and review!**_

**Promptless**

Just to add to my discomfort in the presence of royalty, their sister appeared as if drawn to the spot by an invisible thread between her and her siblings. She spotted her baby sister in my arms and exclaimed something in that language Nia said was K'miri. Nia sniffled, slithered out of my grip and stumbled to her sister. There was a rapid-fire interrogation; the brothers looked as if they were trying desperately to keep up with it.

Lianne hugged her sister comfortingly, straightened, and announced: "My rooms."

Not knowing what else to do, I followed them into their conference.

**Promptless**

Of course, they noticed me. "Um," Prince Jasson said, eyeing me like a sort of poisonous frog he's just found escaped into his room from the menagerie. (It happens.) "Er... Rider-"

"Woodsman, your highness," I provided. "Nia calls me Marnie."

"Well, this is sort of-"

"Secret?" Prince Liam suggested, flashing me a dazzling smile. "Probably slightly illegal, when we've finished?"

Prince Jasson glared at his brother.

"I think, your highnesses," I said, "that the words you're looking for are 'someone's just desserts'. If this is so, well, I'm interested too. So long as no-one gets too hurt," I added hurriedly.

**Promptless**

In the end, I wasn't required to do much, other than provide a little help where it came to heavy lifting, the practicalities, and getting the others in the Group out of the way. Rhodri's room and gearbox were elaborately and messily booby-trapped, a couple of ridiculous pieces of gossip spread, his ponies repeatedly released into fields a fair way from where they ought to have been, and once moved into different stables.

It was when a note was found on his bed, reading SAY SORRY, that I suggested that Rhodri might have suffered enough.

Turned out Vania wrote it.


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N:** I promised another chapter soon- here it is. _**Please read and review!**_

* * *

**Prompt 89 Bodily Functions**

"Marnie Woodsman!"

My name was yelled across the practice court, distracting me. Aminah's knife ripped too close to my shoulder, tearing the shirt but not leaving much more than a scratch. I gasped a curse, and tumbled to the ground.

"Marnie?" Aminah asked quickly, sheathing the knives. She was much better than I was with them, and it showed. "Are you all right- hells, I cut you."

"S'fine," I said, still gasping for breath, and levered myself off the ground. "It's not much, it'll clot soon. What is it?" I demanded crossly of the messenger.

"Commander wants to see you!"

**Promptless**

Well. I had expected this. If truth be told, I had expected it sooner; it had been a whole week since the incident, and I had not been summoned to speak to the Commander. Rhodri had been to see him, but there had been no call for me to explain myself.

I was sure I was going to be drummed out of the Riders.

Aminah looked at me. "Do you want me to come with you?"

I met her eyes with my own, as steady as I could make them. My choice to stand up for Nia, my consequences. "No."

**Promptless**

In the end, it was both commander and assistant commander who waited for me in the commander's office. I clasped my hands behind my back, standing at parade rest. My hands clenched nervously.

"So." The assistant commander turned away from me, to read something. "Leader Fletcher," she said, still not looking at me (I had the peculiar impression that Evin Larse was watching my reaction for her) "claims that you shouted at him and insulted him." She turned sharp eyes on me. "Is this true?"

I took a gulp of air, just in case it was my last. "Yes'm- sir."


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N:** And another chapter... _**Please read and review!**_

* * *

**Promptless**

Finally a reply came, but not from Miri Fisher.

"Why?" the commander asked. "You don't strike me as the sort to suddenly take against your superior officer. Fletcher insulted you, I know that much, but I was certain you could hold out until it was time for you to join another Group. So why?"

"It wasn't just me he insulted, sir," I said, very quietly. "I... could put up with that. Not understand it, but... He called Nia a 'reckless, spoilt little brat' and... she heard."

There was enough in those two words to tell the rest of the story.

**Promptless**

There was no acknowledgement, none at all. An uncomfortable thought slid into my mind. They already knew. This was just for the rumour mill.

"And what did you do about it?" Miri Fisher asked me, voice carefully neutral.

"I told him off a little and went to look for her, ma'am," I answered. "And I took her back to her rooms." I hesitated. "The pran-"

There was a tiny sideways movement of one of the Commander's hands. _Stop_. I stopped, and stared at him.

Why would he _not_ want to know if I had taken part in the Contés' revenge?

**Promptless**

"I see. Then we know where we stand," Miri Fisher said.

There was something strange about this. Everything sounded as if it had been thought of before and rehearsed.

The commander took over. "This will pass soon enough. Such incidents are relatively common in Groups which are close-knit and suddenly have to accept a new member." He shuffled some papers. "The solution that appears to work best is a long tour of duty. Be packed and ready tomorrow; your Leader has already received his orders."

I gave up on understanding. I needed a word with someone _experienced_ in Rider politics.


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N:** Aren't I updating quickly? I hope this chapter clears up confusion as to why Evin wouldn't want to know the gory details of Marnie helping in the Contes' reprisals. Please _**read and review!**_

* * *

**Prompt 90 A Necessary Conversation**

So I went and talked to Aminah, and this is what she said to me.

"The Commander hasn't got so very many good soldiers that he can afford to lose any he gets his hands on. Rhodri's one, and so are you. (Don't look so surprised, Marnie!) The Commander must've been delighted when you even succeeded at dealing with Rhodri. He needs good soldiers, like you two, and he needs you to be able to work together, so he's ignoring the facts and trying to get you to mend your differences."

She snorted.

"Not the method I'd have chosen, but..."

**Promptless**

_I can live with this_, I decided, and said firmly aloud "No, little one, the hurroks' nest is _that_ way, the wagons to Trebond are _that _way," to the straying child.

"Oi! Marnie!"

"What?" I called to Mack.

"You comin'? Someone has to play caravan guards for this lot."

"Be there in a moment!" I shouted back. This tour of duty wasn't bad, so long as I avoided Rhodri, and even he just glowered a bit. Everything seemed to be more or less as it had been before the shouting-match.

Except that Rhodri never ordered me around needlessly any more.

**Promptless**

"Take aim. Fire!"

I was thirsty and hot, patches of sweat darkening my tunic, and my fingers were sore and bleeding from the shooting. Mechanically, I took another arrow, ignoring the pain, nocked it, and waited for the next order.

"Woodsman! What do you think you're doing?" The snap was painfully familiar. I winced.

"Shooting... arrows? Against the raiders?" I was dizzy and befuddled.

"You're no bloody good to the defence dripping blood and half-dead of sunstroke. Get to a healer."

Rough hands yanked me out of the line of archers and shoved me in the direction of the stairs.


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N:** Another chapter... **_Please read and review!_**

* * *

**Promptless**

I stumbled down the stairs, getting in everyone's way. Then I crashed into someone large, and heard:

"What's this? A Rider wandering around like she's sunstruck _in the middle of a siege_?"

I rebounded back, and stared at the speaker. My head hurt. "Is that the Giantkiller?" I stared harder. "You're... fuzzy... why are you fuzzy?"

A stunned silence. Then a familiar voice, warm and concerned. "Sir, I recognise her. It's Marnie Woodsman, and she must be ill if her manners have deserted her." Dom took hold of my shoulders. "Marnie. Are you all right?"

"No," I said, and fainted.

**Promptless**

I woke to find my fingers bandaged, a wet towel on my forehead and a pair of violet eyes peering down at me.

"Oh _good_. She's awake," said the Lioness awfully. "What did you think you were doing, young lady? You should know enough by now to recognise the symptoms of sunstroke. A _dead_ Rider is a _useless_ Rider. Next time, when you need to get out of the sun, get out of it, do you understand?"

I nodded, and regretted it. My head was throbbing steadily. The Lioness saw me nod, and relaxed into a small smile. "Good lass."

**Promptless**

"Hello," Dom said cheerfully.

I looked up. "I thought I was supposed to get quiet visitors."

"Never mind. What happened to you?" He sounded quite concerned.

I closed my eyes. I was tired. "I got sunstroke; it was stupid."

"We all make mistakes," Dom said sympathetically. "Even Sir Alanna makes mist-" Someone coughed meaningfully, and Dom glanced towards the door. "And here comes lovely Aminah, chasing me away for being tiring."

He got up, and sauntered out, blowing me a kiss over his shoulder.

I'd have been flattered, if I wasn't sure he was just trying to get to Aminah.


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N:** Another chapter. _**Please read and review!**_

* * *

**Promptless**

Aminah came and sat down on the visitors' stool. "You want to watch that one. He has a reputation," she said in all seriousness.

I fought not to laugh. The darkness of 'reputation' suggested regular human sacrifices at the top of Balor's Needle. "He's also head-over-heels for someone else," I replied.

"Oo! Who?" Aminah demanded instantly, having the thirst for gossip most Riders did.

I really did laugh. "Can't tell. Sworn to secrecy."

"Oh, you!" the other Rider exclaimed, and seized a pillow.

The healers threw her out a few moments later, pillow-fights apparently not being recommended for sunstroke patients.

**Promptless**

And so it continued, for days and weeks I barely noticed pass. We were certainly being worked hard.

And so I found myself back in Corus again, Aminah telling me "See you soon, Marnie," and Mack ruffling my hair and saying easily "'bye, greenie", and Beth wishing me luck, and other goodbyes and endearments filtering through my ears, and coming second to the thought: what next? I'd never thought that you ever ran out of things to do when you were a Rider.

But that's what I seemed to be doing, so I headed for my usual barracks, and unpacked.

**Promptless**

The others started to come back too. Josey, tanned from her time in the desert with the Seventh and as lively as ever. Talia, who had got the lucky assignment, working with the Deputy Commander's Group, returned with more confidence than she'd had when she left. Peter came back and announced that he had now seen it all, thank you, after having witnessed Faleron of King's Reach's undergarments flown from the flagpole at Mastiff as part of some knight's prank.

We all had one thing in common. None of us had any idea what happened next to us new Riders.


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N:** Heeeeeere we go again. **_Please read and review!_**

Also. One hundred and eighty-eight reviews?! Thank you _so much_! :D You guys are amazing.

**Prompt 91 Travel**

"I want'a be a Rider like you when I'm big," Nia announced.

I looked up at her. "Really? And muck out stalls? There are lots of other things you could do. Maybe you could be a knight?"

Nia screwed up her face and shook her head. She was watching me muck out Sloe's stall. "Knights have to muck out stalls too."

"Why do you want to be a Rider?"

"So I can travel," Nia answered. "I want to see everywhere. Tortall's my country, so I should know it all for Roald, 'cause he won't be able to when he's king."

**Promptless**

Eventually I realised there was someone I could ask about what was going to happen to us new Riders who would know for certain. After all, hadn't Queen Thayet been commander once?

I asked Nia if I could speak to her mother, and she agreed at once and led me to the Queen's private study, bypassing the guards with greetings and an explanation.

We stood together outside the door; Nia gave me an encouraging smile. I knocked.

"Come in!" Queen Thayet called. I opened the door and stepped in.

"Your Majesty?" I said. "I just wanted to ask..."

"Ask away."

**Promptless**

Her Majesty's study was a nice place. There was a large desk, some bookcases, maps, portraits and sketches, and things that seemed personal objects, like four small stone statues that caught my eye. "The Horse Lords," Queen Thayet said. "K'miri gods. You had a question?" she added, smiling warmly.

I swallowed, and asked tentatively: "What happens- to us new Riders?"

Queen Thayet sat. "Well, commonly, you'll be split up and assigned to new Groups where you can be best used."

I nodded understanding.

Before I could leave, the queen asked: "Marnie, how much _exactly _do you remember of your mother?"


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N:** That review counter is going so high, it's making me dizzy. :) In thanks, the 200th reviewer will get to request a drabble of their choice, provided it isn't _too _twisted.

* * *

**Prompt 92 a blast from the past**

I recalled that she'd been beautiful, I knew she'd always favoured me over my brothers and sisters. I remembered trying to nurse her when she caught unicorn fever, and I remembered my father dragging me away, and faintly that I'd screamed at him that I didn't want him I wanted Mama.

But Queen Thayet still had some things that belonged to her, things she'd left in Corus when she married my father and the queen had kept. A few sketches she'd done, a pair of earbobs, a figurine of the Goddess, a couple of letters.

"Your Majesty-"

"Thayet," Thayet insisted.

**Promptless**

The queen –Thayet- was right. We were put into new Groups, and soon, taking our belongings along with us to be identified in a new way- a member of the Tenth not the Sixteenth, or the Fifth not the Third. But those were ridiculous thoughts. I was probably the only one who had them, late at night, because I had sat up looking over my mother's things and when I tried to sleep I couldn't. There were shadows under my eyes the next morning.

You will not be surprised to hear that it was that morning that I was reassigned.

**Promptless**

At first meeting, I liked my new Group. They were a friendly lot, with a woman commander and progressive second, and little fuss about my being greener than most of them. They had lost a member recently, who they spoke of with affection, so they had been assigned two new Riders- myself, and Talia. I had hoped that if that happened, I would be reassigned with Josey who I knew best, but I liked Talia. Our coming made the Group an even eight, four women, four men, and I didn't expect trouble.

For once, I didn't immediately get any, either.


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N:** And again. :) LunaSphere, your fic is written- any preferences as to how I get it to you once I've run it past my beta? **_Please read and review!_**

* * *

**Promptless**

Among this Group, I learnt names and made friends quickly. Lise, Talia, Alys, Aneth, Fox, Samnang (called Sam) and Flann, as well as me. We were a mixed bunch, including the son of a pair of K'miri refugees (Sam), a runaway noble lady, two northerners, one half-Gallan and a Bazhir. It was like the Royal Arrows in that there was no particular part of the country most of us came from, but Alys was less taciturn than Rhodri, and even Talia was at her ease quickly.

Together, we formed the Fifteenth, Stickers. No-one understood the name. It had just... stuck.

**Prompt 93 Progress**

I strolled past the training grounds with Josey, where a new batch of trainees was trying, and failing, to learn to use the staff.

"Smythe! How many times! KEEP! YOUR! FEET! STILL! Cooper! Do not break your opponent's fingers!- off to the healers' with you, Master Dervynsra, it's not nearly as bad as it looks! Ah, Hallden! Well done! Your grip is finally correct after two weeks! We make progress!"

Josey winced, sighed, and chewed on her toffee apple. "Were we ever that stupid?"

"Yes," I said, and pulled a handkerchief from my pocket. "You have toffee on your nose."

**Prompt 94 Contagious**

"Marnie!" Talia yelled. I ran to her where she was standing with cloth tied over her nose and mouth, gloves on her hands and carrying a healer's kit; we were trying to help deal with an outbreak of unicorn fever near Port Caynn. "Please tell me you didn't go in there!"

'In there' was the tent where the most infectious cases were. "I did."

Talia gave a strangled shriek, dragged me a little way away and emptied two buckets, one of cleaning fluid, the other of water, over me. "You idiot! It's horribly contagious!"

"I know that," I said quietly.


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N:** ... Um. Yes. I forgot to update at the break-neck pace. Please _**read and review!**_

* * *

**Promptless**

"You're a fool, Marnie Woodsman," the Group Leader said without preamble.

"They needed help, ma'am," I defended myself. "There were some city healers refusing to go in there and carry out a body, so I did it. I took all the precautions and I've had the pox the healers think protects you from it."

"I'll talk to the healers," she said after a moment. "Don't do it again. Oh, and, Marnie!"

"Yes'm?"

"You've seen how unicorn fever kills?"

"Yes'm."

She stared at me, long and hard. "Then you're still a fool, Woodsman. But you're the bravest fool I've ever met."

**Promptless**

I didn't mean to eavesdrop. It wasn't my fault that I was nearby, hidden from them by my friends.

"Tell me, did Marnie Woodsman do anything odd?" That was the Commander, light and casual.

Alys paused. "She went into the infectious cases tent without magical protection to carry out a body because some healers wouldn't. I didn't have the heart to punish her, I was too worried she'd catch it."

Silence. "Well, I'm damned."

"She doesn't lack for bravery."

"I knew that."

Only Aminah heard, and she gave me a look which said, _Good soldiers, remember? I told you so._

**Promptless**

I was mending tack, sitting in the glow of the fire in the mess and screening out the cheerful noise so as to stay sane when a shadow fell across me, and I looked up. The Assistant Commander, Miri Fisher. "I wanted to ask you a question, Marnie," she said evenly. You walked into a tent of people you knew were infected with a horrible disease without magical protection. Reckless, brave, and unnecessary. Why?"

"Because it needed to be done," I said. "No-one else would do it."

And she looked at me for a moment, then nodded and walked away.


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N:** This chapter is dedicated to Kiarad, whose horse stood on her foot. _**Please read and review!**_

* * *

**Prompt 95 S/He opened his/her eyes and saw Hogwarts**

I should never have said yes when Talia asked me to go with her to the mages' party, because she was shy. I don't remember exactly which drink it was that did the deadly work, but anyway there was a lot of giggling and someone said he'd show us on something he was working on, and could he have a volunteer, and I got volunteered. Suddenly words were being chanted and lines drawn on the floor, and then- I blinked, and when I opened my eyes I could see an enormous castle with lots of turrets.

I swore. Not again.

**Promptless**

The first time had been bad enough, with the silvery talisman and those travellers with the blond archer who mistook me for a man. This was unspeakable, I decided, and then I had the feeling that my guts were being ripped inside out and then I was lying on the floor.

"- ridiculous! Breach of every Mages' Council rule there is, and that's without the noise! Rikash won't go back to sleep for hours, thanks to you, and we're going to have to find the person from that world you've brought into this one! Damn you all, go to bed!"

**Promptless**

"Now, you've got to command pages. They're fourth-years, and they're all decent fighters, that's why they're being allowed to help, but they lack experience. You shouldn't see much action, but don't let them muck around and don't let them give you cheek. Especially be _very_ tough if they start flirting," Alys instructed.

I nodded. "Yes'm. I've got a lot of siblings, so I should be able to manage them."

"Good," Alys said. "I didn't know that, but it should be useful. Just think of them as younger brothers. And manners be damned, call me Alys, everyone else does. Good luck!"


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N:** I received a lot of highly confused reviews for the last chapter, due to the first two drabbles, so many that I actually got confused myself about what was going on (take it from me- _never_ a good sign.) I think I accidentally told a couple of people the wrong explanation for what happened- **Contorce** and** Kiarad**, I believe you were subjected to the incorrect version of events: apologies -but anyway, this is what happened, just to make all crystal clear.

Marnie was at a mages' party, right? She was volunteered to be the subject of a spell which transported her to a place where there was a castle that looked like Hogwarts. If you would prefer to think of it as Hogwarts, feel free to do so, but I am trying to keep crossover out of this fic. It was presumably rather a noisy spell, and so Numair came to break up the party and rescue Marnie.

This set should be more straightforward. :p

* * *

**Promptless**

As a matter of fact, I wasn't the only one looking after the pages; Oliver, who I knew as a trainee and knew would follow my command without even thinking about it, and four soldiers, all privates so below my rank, were there to help- which convinced me that this was a ruse to make me take charge of something. I had them lined up and ready to fire from the Trebond battlements, and we waited for the raiders the Wildmage had said were headed this way.

It would all have gone well, had the pages not been so uppity.

**Promptless**

I was accustomed to being flirted at, after my time with the Riders. I didn't consider myself pretty, and I wasn't that much of a looker, but I was blonde, blue-eyed and obviously female, so I suppose it was inevitable. Either way, I knew how to deal with it, I had some comebacks, but I was not prepared for some noble teenager a foot taller than me trying to get into my bedroll. His name was Elam of Marti's Hill; I later found out from Lady Kel that being a pain in the backside ran in the Marti's Hill blood.

**Promptless**

Eventually, I lost patience. He was really trying it on, and I'd. Had. E_nough_. "Private Farrier, take over," I ordered, knowing Oliver would flounder. "Pages, take your orders from Private Farrier, or heads'll roll."

We were in a lull between attacks. I seized the boy's tunic and dragged him a little way off. "Cut it out," I hissed. "I'm female, yes, but _I'm_ in command and _you're_ being insubordinate. It's _not_ acceptable, and if I were anyone else, you'd be in trouble so deep you'd be drowning. As it is, do it again and _I will make your life miserable_."


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N:** Sorry it's a bit late. NaNoWriMo has a way of taking over. _**Please read and review!**_

* * *

**Promptless**

"Mithros," Oliver said later. "I do not want to get on your wrong side."

"Marnie has a wrong side?" Aneth asked. "She's the most even-tempered woman I've ever met!"

"You should have heard her bawl out a page today," Oliver told him. My ears were turning pink, and I was studying my soup. "It was the politest bawling-out I've ever heard, but gods, did he get a shock. I had no idea you could be so frightening," he added.

"You don't remember me telling you off for spiking the punch?" I retorted.

"Well, no, I think I was still drunk..."

**Promptless**

There were two or three more straightforward assignments that were more or less a sample of typical Riders' work, taking altogether about five months (always allowing for the fact that one was the muddy job of shoring up a town called Pearlmouth, which seemed to flood yearly and needed three months' help to deal with the worst.) Another involved hunting spidrens in the Royal Forest, a sighting of which had put the wind up the unfortunate Owen of Jesslaw and his sweetheart, and the last involved helping to rid a Bazhir tribe of a band of hillmen.

_Then_ came trouble.

**Promptless**

It came in the form of orders to accompany Group Spiderdeath and Prince Liam to extract Princess Lianne from the mages' school in the desert and escort both to Pirate's Swoop; although Alys, the commander of my Group, raised a question about how few of us there were, Evin Larse explained firstly, Prince Liam was a capable knight, secondly, a further escort of the King's Own were already there with Lady Knight Keladry, and there shouldn't be trouble on the outward journey.

Being acquainted with the house of Conté, I doubted that, but it wasn't my place to say anything.


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N:** Blame NaNoWriMo. _**Please read and review!**_

* * *

**Promptless**

There was no trouble until we reached the thick of the scrubby hills near the desert. Prince Liam was decent, hardworking and kindly didn't let on that he'd ever met me before, which would only have made complications. But when we got to the deeper hills, without scouts out since we were in an area of the hills judged to be quiet, trouble started with an arrow skimming lazily over the head of a member of Spiderdeath.

There were shocked cries. Pepper jigged nervously, and I swung her around, searching for the archers hidden on the sides of the hills.

**Promptless**

Soon, a new group of hillmen, this time on horseback, appeared. Their numbers were larger than ours, and we were chased into a labyrinth of natural passages and rooms, riding breakneck in ragged groups, followed by the hillmen, and then I found myself split off from the others, and driven into another part of the labyrinth, pursued by one hillman with a nasty grin and an even nastier sword, and then I realised that Prince Liam was just ahead of me and it hadn't been me who was split off but him.

My heart sank even further into my boots.

**Promptless**

I had put on a burst of speed and found Prince Liam with his horse reined in, in a large room-space with a healthy river bubbling at the side, and forgetting everything I shouted at him to go on, go on, and he glanced around, nodded and kicked his horse into a canter out of a wide archway. I slid off Pepper, and slapped her to make her leave, and after a moment she did.

Reckoning that a staff would be useless at first, I put an arrow to my bow, loosened my long knife in its sheath- and waited.


	45. Chapter 45

**A/N:** More than _two hundred and fifty _reviews? Oh my God, that's amazing! I've never had half that number on a story before! Thank you so much! ^^

* * *

**Promptless**

I didn't have to wait long- he came through the passage I'd come through only a few moments later. I shot at his horse, and though I didn't hit anything vital he dismounted- I dropped my bow and picked up the staff (block, hit, block, hit) and then suddenly he smashed the flat of the sword against the side of my head, and I collapsed, feeling pain on the inside of my skull blinding, blinding-

and blacked out-

-which, had the hillman taken advantage of the chance to kill me, would have been an abrupt end to my military career.

**Promptless**

But he didn't. Instead, and to my shock, I came to while having my head splashed in the river. I gasped in shock, and tried to breathe as water streamed off my face. I was kneeling on the bank, my arms forced behind my back, the hillman kneeling on my calves and with a good grip on my hair, which he was using to push my head underwater, but at least he didn't have a knife at my back. "Tell me!" he shouted, and forced my head underwater again. "Where are the prince and princess?"

_What_? I thought dizzily, astonished.

**Promptless**

I didn't know why this man wanted to find the prince and princess, and I hoped that Prince Liam had got away and so had Pepper and Talia and Alys and the others, but I was more worried about drowning. I knew I could swim; that would be no good if he simply held my head underwater. Dimly, I wondered if he could swim, and that gave me a wild idea. I went underwater once more, and he shouted "tell me!"

"I- I-" I gasped, and he leant forward, excited by the breakthrough- and I toppled over into the river.


	46. Chapter 46

**A/N:** Please don't ask me if the chapters will become longer/I will break out of the 100-word drabble format now that they're promptless, it upsets me. The whole point of a 100-word drabble epic, as far as I am concerned, is that it's in 100-word drabbles. Sorry, but it's true.

* * *

**Promptless**

A shock of cold, a few moments of tumbling whirling bubbled breathlessness, him clutching at my tunic (which ripped) and boots (which stayed on) and then being caught up in the current and completely losing sight of the hillman, only thinking of getting to the surface to breathe and staying alive, because it was freezing and it ran_ very_ fast. I struggled not to be dashed against the sides and broken, and then a long rock tunnel and I came out into the daylight.

And then someone hauled me out of the river, to gasp and choke on the ground.

**Promptless**

It was Talia, Goddess be thanked, and she knelt over me, calling my name while I spluttered. Eventually, she put a warm hand on my throat, and I smelt wine and saw a faint glow of dark red, of her Gift, and my throat was clear and I could talk. "What happened?" she demanded.

"You could say I went swimming, but I didn't," I said shortly, getting up a little unsteadily. We were out of the wretched maze, on the edge of the desert. "How did you get here?"

'Here' was on the edge of the desert, near an archway-outlet.

**Promptless**

I took a deep breath, listening to Talia's muddled explanation of how Ribbon had bolted and brought her here.

"Right. You have your crossbow and your staff? Give me the staff," I ordered. "I've seen Nia do a trick where she sends a ball of light to fetch people. Can you do that?"

"Yes," Talia said.

"Then please do," I said, taking the staff. "Both the Group Leaders, Prince Liam, and the mages. I'll keep watch."

One by one, balls of wine-coloured fire rose from Talia's hands. I shifted my grip, watched the outlet, and hoped they would bring help.


	47. Chapter 47

**A/N:** And again... now, if I were really cruel, I'd leave you hanging on this for a week or two. _**Please read and review!**_

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**Promptless**

They brought Alys, whose surname was Howarth, Prince Liam, Lorimer from Spiderdeath and of the six mages Fox, Lise and Jem, Fox and Lise from my own Group. With them, they brought Pepper, and a number of other ponies. I will not deny that I was very glad to see Pepper. Prince Liam had a cut on his forehead, Lorimer was limping badly and Alys had dislocated her shoulder. Talia mended the cut, suffering a certain amount of flirtation from the walking wounded meanwhile, and relocated the shoulder, and then we talked about what to do next.

Well. They did.

**Promptless**

It ended with three of us being sent to ride to the school, which was only a few hours away by Alys's judgement, while the others sent more messages into the labyrinth to find the others and waited to see if anyone else came out. The three of us were I rather thought those considered least useful- me, Lorimer, whose limp couldn't be fixed, and Prince Liam, who was a liability. Also, our horses were among those who had reappeared from the passages.

So off we went, and I will happily swear a more mismatched group has never been seen.

**Promptless**

We rode as fast as we could, not talking, and we came to the school, and found the King's Own standing around, and Princess Lianne looking very cross indeed, and the unmistakable figure of Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan.

The instant we were noticed, there was a storm of 'what happened?' and 'Liam!' and 'Mithros!' but I made a strangled noise and tried to hide behind Pepper, because I had also seen someone with petrifyingly familiar red hair.

Luckily, nobody was paying attention to me, because there was Prince Liam to worry about, and I was just a damp Rider.


	48. Chapter 48

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**A/N:** Apologies for the suspense, but you get **an AU drabble separately- Myths And Legends **-for the recent prompt Genderbending to make up for it. Please read and review!

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**Promptless**

Yes, I _did _want to meet Merric again, I thought as I was ushered into a tent and lent some cream to bring down the sunburn, a comb and some slightly over-large clean clothing. No, I was _not_ pleased that it had to be now, when I was tired and still frightened by the falling into a river fiasco (and busy running through all the ways it could have gone _horribly_ wrong) soaked, and furthermore sunburnt about the ears and nose.

Ah, well. These things are sent to try us, I thought tiredly, and went out to face everyone else.

**Promptless**

"Rider Woodsman," Lady Keladry greeted me politely. I saluted as crisply as I could, and kept my eyes staring determinedly ahead of me; I could see Merric bursting to ask questions, bright blue eyes fixed on me. "Please sit," the lady knight continued, as nicely as if I was important, which is a fair wonderful trait of hers. "You must be tired."

Slightly surprised, I hesitated and sat on a stool, a little away from the table with maps spread over it and the important people. It doesn't do to get in the way; you only stop important things happening.

**Promptless**

They started talking, and I listened attentively. "The labyrinths," a knight said. "Of course. But how did you get out?"

Prince Liam paused in his admirably crisp explanation, and frowned. "A mage from Stickers sent messenger lights to find the key people. I've been wondering about that, because I can't see from where she got the idea or the initiative- she's a bit of a wet hen, to be honest..."

"Talia is_ not_ a wet hen," I said indignantly, forgetting my audience. "If you give her the right orders, or a medical situation to cope with, she manages very well."


	49. Chapter 49

A/N: Updating again quicker this time- real life has this uncomfortable habit of getting in the way, sorry. _**Please read and review!**_

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**Promptless**

Oh Goddess, they were all looking at me, and it was too late to clap my hand over my mouth and pretend I didn't exist and had I just spoken like that to a prince and some commanders gods above I had-

I got a grip on myself, and sat up straighter. "As a matter of fact, your highness, it was me who told Talia to sent the messenger lights. I've seen it done by another mage, when she broke an ankle and needed help."

Lady Knight Keladry was watching me with interest now, and Merric was looking frankly astonished.

**Promptless**

_Ah, well_, I thought. _As well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb_. I continued. "There's something else, as well, your highnesses- sirs- lady knight. I was caught by a hillman who wanted to know where the prince and princess were."

"How did you get away?" Lady Knight Keladry asked. I met her eyes.

"I was by a river. He was pushing my head underwater, threatening to drown me if I didn't say something, but he hadn't got a knife to my back so I sort of... fell into the river. I don't think he could swim," I added.

**Promptless**

"And there's something else," I rushed before anyone could say anything in response. "He kept demanding where the 'prince and princess were'. I think he thought you were both there, your highnesses, and he was after you."

"What for?" Princess Lianne said, folding her arms. "Hostages?"

"They wouldn't necessarily know that you would happily toast them," Prince Liam pointed out acidly. "And yes, hostages. Hillmen have always had a grievance against Tortallans."

"They _are_ Tortallans. They can't have a grievance against themselves!"

"You tell _them_ that."

It was rapidly turning into a royal bickering episode, so they let me leave.


	50. Chapter 50

**A/N:** Just for a change, Marnie and Merric actually get to talk. And oh my God, guys! _Fifty chapters!_ How amazing is that? I never thought it'd get this far. _**Please read and review!**_

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**Promptless**

The Bazhir are nice people, and good cooks. I don't hold with this 'sand scut' nonsense; people are all alike. Nobody thinks one colour in a painting is better than another, do they? They don't say blue is better than green because it's blue. That's not a reason to dislike someone and I won't have it.

However, the Bazhir are still excellent cooks, by and large, and very generous to hungry Riders in distress and out of uniform.

I was halfway through a large flatbread containing little fried chickpea and sesame seed balls when Merric came to talk to me.

**Promptless**

I decided to let him speak first, mostly because I didn't have a clue what to say, but then he didn't say anything so I finished my mouthful and prompted: "Have they finished in there, then?"

"Yes," Merric said, sounding distinctly sullen. I remembered this tone, from days when I wouldn't let him out to exercise when his leg was mending; it sounded like he had something to be resentful about on the boil, so I waited for it to come out.

He struggled with his self-control for another moment before losing and bursting out: "What are you doing here?"

**Promptless**

"I'm a soldier," I said calmly. "A Rider. I enlisted the spring after you and your friends left the village." And then, because two years as a trainee, on probation and as a full Rider had taught me that when lunch presents itself you don't let it hang around, I took another large mouthful and chewed while Merric tried to digest this and put together a response.

"B... but... That was a full two years ago!"

I nodded, and took another mouthful, wondering why the time involved bothered him so much.

"You became a Rider and _you didn't tell me_?"


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N:** Oh my God- three hundred reviews! Many thanks to all my amazing reviewers. :)

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**Promptless**

I thought that was stating the obvious, but I said: "Yes. I wasn't sure I was going for it at first. You helped, teaching me to ride," I added, thinking it time to soothe the wounded pride a little.

"That wasn't teaching," he mumbled. "That was just putting you in the way of teaching yourself."

I gaped at him (swallowing first.) "I kept falling off!"

"Well, everyone does that. You stopped doing it quickly enough," Merric pointed out logically.

"Because it _hurt_," I said waspishly.

"That's why most people stop doing it..."

I chose to finish my lunch before disagreeing.

**Prompt 96 Sacrifice**

Unhappily for me, when I'd finished, Merric (who had been sitting and looking moody) had found a new line of questioning, and I didn't like it.

"But didn't you have to give up a lot?"

"Like what?" I almost snapped. I hated that question.

He blinked at me. "Well, like your own home..."

"Oh, you mean the house I cleaned, cooked in, looked after my brothers and sisters and father in, and rarely got a hand's turn of help with?"

"... Well, yes!"

I reached across and flicked his ear, hard. He recoiled with a startled yelp. "Don't be daft."

**Prompt 97 Before and After shots**

There were a few shrieks of warning, and the sound of a lot of people hastily piling out of a tent and flinging themselves face-first into the sand. Merric got up, frowning in puzzlement. There was a tremor under our feet; I leapt up and dragged Merric down.

When the noise had stopped and the dust had settled, I let him up. "What was that?" he demanded, like about sixty other people unfamiliar with trainee mages.

I stood up myself. "That was what happens when you put lots of young mages together in one place. Sooner or later, something explodes."


	52. Chapter 52

**A/N:** And again- thank you so much for the overwhelming response to this story. I am so glad you like it.

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**Promptless**

After that, Merric had to leave to talk to Lady Kel. The commanders and the prince and princess had chosen to wait till tomorrow in case the missing Riders returned, and if not, to search for them and call help from Corus.

I put my uniform back on with relief and tied up my hair (Princess Lianne had appeared with a hair-ribbon she thought I might need, and while she was there thanked me for looking after her brother, which she said would have to be added to her private tally of all the times I had helped her family.)

**Prompt 98 Weakness**

And... and yet. Though I treated Merric like a silly brother then, it was hard to call him daft and dismiss him. When I saw him at the campfire, he had his back to the fire, the light setting his hair afire, and I nearly collapsed in the sand there and then, because it was so very familiar. I knew that stubborn tilt of the head well.

Only I knew this too: a month of foolishness is not long set beside twenty years of common sense, a common soldier is not equal to a noble knight, and dreams are useless.

**Prompt 99 99**

I was counting reasons why I hated being a Rider. It was cold and wet, Sloe was fretting, we were all moping after losing Flann and Aneth in the labyrinths two months ago, my ankle hurt and I'd had a cheerful letter from Josey, nice, _dry_ Josey, and... Where was this bloody castle anyway?

Alys turned the map upside-down, squinted at it, and announced: "This map is wrong."

Talia whimpered, I moaned and Fox swore. It seemed a very long time before we got to the solid wooden gates of Mindelan, with the lightning cracking overhead and the rain pelting.


	53. Chapter 53

**A/N:** And again... Merry Christmas, if I don't post again before then!

**Promptless**

"Hey the gatekeeper!" Alys yelled over the rumbling of the thunder. No response. She pounded on the great wooden gates. "Hey the keep!"

A small shutter banged open high above. The Mindelans believed in safety precautions. "An' who's callin' up the keep at this time o'night, missy?" a cantankerous voice demanded.

"That's Leader Howarth to you!" Alys bellowed. "We're the Rider Group Stickers! Let us in!"

The gatekeeper thought about it. "I'll speak to Sir Piers," he decided, and the shutter slammed shut.

I added another reason to my list, number ninety-nine: Being Left Out In The Pouring Rain, Dammit.

**Promptless**

After some time, in which we fumed, grumped, fidgeted or complained, each according to his or her character, there was the sound of activity, and the gates were opened, a young nobleman in a heavy cloak giving brisk orders to guardsmen and stableboys. One lad came and took Sloe's reins. "Mind out," I warned, and swung out of the saddle, wincing as my weight landed on my sore ankle. "He's a wee bit mean."

He smiled at me, reminding me of my brothers. "We'll do well enough, ma'am. You get on up to the keep, you'n th'others look fair froze."

**Promptless**

We reached the keep quickly, the knight leading the way into the hall, where Lady Kel got up from where she sat near the fire and marched us women off for baths, hot, blessed baths where you didn't have to share the bath with anyone or heat all the water yourself, and then took us all down to the hall again for food, delicious onion soup and bread. I think we all nearly pledged allegiance there and then, but it's certain we all decided that, if the Scanran treaty went down the necessary, we knew who we wanted for commander.


	54. Chapter 54

**A/N:** This is my last post for a week or so, as I'm going on holiday. Just a heads-up.

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**Promptless**

We seemed to have stumbled across a family reunion. The Mindelan family is even larger than the Conté clan, large enough to make you blink, and a good half of them collected in the hall. They reminded me a little of the less frightening Contés, unconcerned by the fact they were mingling with commoners –if you discounted Lise, an escaped noble lady who'd been disinherited in payment for her freedom- and very welcoming. Lady Ilane sat by me and Talia for a while, being very kind and not in the least patronising, and winning several shy smiles out of Talia.

**Promptless**

Once the children, of whom there seemed to be a lot, were sent to bed, it grew a lot quieter, and I sipped my soup, which was now not so hot that it would burn my throat. I had managed to get a good seat by the fire, and I was enjoying the peace and warmth. Someone sat by me, and I turned my head to see Lady Kel. "Lady knight-" I began, attempting to leap to my feet and bow or something, but Lady Kel tugged me down.

"Sit. You must be tired, after that ride through the rain."

**Promptless**

She had a cup of some strange, infusion-like liquid cupped in her hands –some kind of tea, perhaps?- and she was plainly in a mood to talk. I let her start.

"You're Marnie Woodsman, I think?"

I nodded.

She took a sip of the tea, and looked aimlessly ahead of her, at the stone wall. "I thought so. Merric told me about you –oh, two years ago, it must have been- and then he pointed you out to me recently, in the desert."

I blushed. "I can't think what there was to tell, my lady."

She smiled. "Please. Kel. "


	55. Chapter 55

**A/N:** Sorry- I found a new fandom and got distracted by the shiny. Also, I have GCSE mocks. -_-

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**Promptless**

Kel took another gulp of tea, and then said: "I'm very interested in seeing other women advance in my profession- well, I'm a knight and you're a Rider, but..."

"I know," I said.

"And... I won't lie, I heard a lot about you, all of it good, but nothing to make me think you were the sort to enlist for a Rider. So I would like to ask a question, if you don't mind. Why?"

I paused to think seriously. "Because I've seen bandits, and I've seen killing, and I wanted to try and help people who suffer that way."

**Prompt 100 Remix and Rewind (love, not actually/irrationality)**

There was a question I wanted to ask too, even though I knew I'd sworn I'd end this foolishness. "La- Kel," I said, stumbling on the title I wasn't supposed to use, "can I ask?..."

"Of course," she agreed.

I looked down at the bowl in my hands. "Will you tell me about Merric? I always wanted to know... Things like- that leg wound that got so bad after he fought the bandits near my village, he had that before. Why didn't he let it heal right? He's a... He's a puzzle, my l- Kel. I like to understand puzzles."

**Promptless**

She didn't let me know, in any way, that she had seen through my rather thin reasons for wanting to know about Merric. She simply said: "Merric is different. In some ways he thinks as he's been taught to think, and in others he learns to form his own opinions."

I couldn't believe I'd got away with it, and nodded in acknowledgement. Kel began to speak again. "I first met Merric when we were pages. He had a wicked temper, but it's improved since, I think... I _hope_..."

We laughed softly, and started not only a conversation but a friendship.


	56. Chapter 56

**A/N:** I'm a horrible author and deserve all manner of horrid repercussions. I'm so sorry, guys, I got terribly sidetracked by a new fandom, and kept forgetting to update- seriously, if it ever gets this bad again, send me a PM reminding me to get my backside in gear. If any of you have any patience left with me, by the way, I'd like to recommend a new TP board to you- Goldenlake, set up by Treanz-Alyce, and looking pretty damn awesome already for a very new board! Take a look. :) Link (take out the spaces, or it won't work) http:// www. fiefgoldenlake .proboards.

Very Important Point: the drabble for prompt 101 is not based on my own idea of moral ambiguity, it's going on the Tortallverse's. Remember in Page or something when Joren starts a fight over Neal suggesting he's sleeping with one of his henchmen?

**Disclaimer:** TP owns Tortall.

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**Promptless**

We talked till almost dawn, me sharing what I knew of Merric from my time mending his sore leg and being taught to ride by him, Kel telling stories from their years as page and squire, and then finally of the sortie into Scanra that nearly cost all their lives. Merric would have insisted on being tied to his horse, I thought, as I stumbled over Alys, it was just like the stupid, block-headed, loyal, adorable-

Oh damn, I thought, utterly horrified at my heart's ability to take over my thoughts, tripped over Talia and fell headlong onto my bedroll.

**Prompt 101 Moral Ambiguity**

Sometimes, female Riders have to share beds: it's a common custom. Talia and I had found ourselves sharing a pallet in a store-room, since there was no room elsewhere for us.

I realised during the night that Talia was crying. Sure, and it had been a trying day for all of us- her especially, as she'd gone straight from battle to infirmary to heal. I turned over, and hugged the younger woman, trying to comfort her, and then stiffened, shocked, as Talia's lips brushed mine.

I was silent, dumbfounded. Then Talia whispered: "Oh. You're not... Sorry."

But she stopped crying.

**104 Time Spent In Reconnaissance**

"Why are we walking around the kitchens?" I asked Josey, puzzled. Fief Olau was a lovely place, and very hospitable to Riders- so hospitable that it didn't mind if two Rider Groups turned up on its doorstep at the same time –but there were nicer places to see in it than the kitchens. There was even a proper library, which I would've liked to see.

"Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted," Josey said sententiously, meaning I could have my books if she could pillage the kitchens. "And Sir Myles has an excellent cook."

"You are such a greedy gannet."


	57. Chapter 57

**A/N:** Well, this is earlier than last time, anyway. _**Please read and review!**_

**Disclaimer:** See previous.

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**Prompt 102 Secrets**

"Gracious, Mistress Jennifer," I heard the lady of Olau say, "I'm sure your accusations are unfounded. I do not see why soldiers of this realm would lower themselves to stealing tarts."

The cook grumbled a bit and left the stillroom, where I'd been told to go after breaking two fingers in practice. I poked my head around the door.

"Ah, my lady?"

"Yes?" Lady Eleni said, setting aside mortar and pestle.

I showed her my hand.

"Ah well. That's a moment's work to heal, but I'll bandage those fingers anyway... By the way, do you know anything about strawberry tarts?"

**Prompt 105 Talents**

"Nia!" I called. "Have you finished with Sloe?"

There was a yelled 'yes' from inside the stable and Nia led Sloe out, shining-clean and probably about to roll in mud the moment we let him out into the paddock.

I heard someone approach and saw Princess Lianne come to stand beside me, dressed for riding, and stare at Nia. She blinked, shook her head, and then looked at me and said: "How do you do it? How do you make her do what you tell her to?"

Startled, I turned to look at Nia. "I... It's a knack, your highness."

**Prompt 103 Opposites Attract**

There was a textbook on the table in the empty mess, lying open. I picked it up.

_The application of the Gift to an inanimate object gives it a charge. This charge may be positive or negative depending on the mage's type of Gift and the spell, but it is possible to decide which charge is given. Objects with opposite charges attract each other and may cause explosions..._

Dull. I put it down again, just as I heard the man I knew to be Nia's teacher shouting for her.

I smiled. Whoever said opposites attracted hadn't seen Nia and lessons.


	58. Chapter 58

**A/N:** I'm getting better at this updating thing. _**Please read and review!**_

**Disclaimer:** See previous.

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**Prompt 106 The Art of Collecting**

"Why is it," Alys Howarth asked, strolling into the mess just as Sam made a final effort and smashed Fox's fist on to the table for the fifth time –I never worked out why Fox thought he was good at arm-wrestling, because he wasn't- and sitting down at the head of the table we'd commandeered, "that we always collect the muddiest assignments?"

"It's an art," Lise joked, accepting her winnings from Fox, who had unwisely bet on himself. "What do you mean, muddy?"

"I mean Gallan border in winter muddy. We'll be lucky to get back to Corus for Midwinter."

**Prompt 107 The Future**

When you're in the Riders, thinking about the future is pointless. It didn't bother me, not really- I knew that I was with the Riders for good now. I did have savings, though. That's just practical, part of accepting that you'll never know what's coming next, be it a bucket of unspeakable slush on your head or a spidren attack.

Never think about these things while halfway to the Gallan border. You may do as I did and be hit by an unexpected tree-branch and fall out of the saddle, and friends never let you forget that kind of thing.

**Prompt 108 Genderbending**

"It's indecent," the lord mumbled, "women in men's clothes!"

I might have been more impressed if he hadn't been quite obviously staring at Talia's breeches. I caught Fox's eye, and flicked a glance at Talia; he understood, and stepped casually in front of the healer, who looked relieved. I nodded my thanks.

Alys had noticed the by-play, and she offered the lord a frosty smile. If we lived in a perfect world, we wouldn't need to ask him for a couple of days' shelter while we rested our ponies before making the final push towards the border, but we didn't.


	59. Chapter 59

**A/N:** I'm a bad person. _**Please read and review!**_

**Disclaimer:** See previous parts.

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**Prompt 109 Poetry**

"You know," Sam said blandly, "people write poetry about this area." We had left the lecherous lord and his fief behind two days ago, to general relief.

"Oh, they do, do they?" Alys said grumpily. "What about? The rain?"

Sam caught my eye. It was often hard to tell when Sam was amused, but there was a mischievous glitter in his eyes now and I grinned at him. "No, the dramatic landscape."

Alys growled. "Sam, stop winding me up!"

I smiled. Sam was the only one who teased her; he was Group Second, so he practically had a license to.

**Prompt 110 Switch Sides**

I later wished that Sam hadn't stopped teasing Alys, though, because the conversation took a turn for the embarrassing not long afterwards.

"Oh, come on, Domitan of Masbolle is such a player," Lise said scornfully. "Not my type at _all_."

"They say he fancies Lady Kel," Fox contributed. There was a brief scuffle over this, which ended with an appeal to me.

"Marnie, you know Lady Kel, what do you think?-"

"Only in passing!" I squeaked, and hastily recovered myself. "And anyway, Domitan-" I flushed and backtracked, remembering that I wasn't supposed to know what I was about to say.

**Promptless**

Lise regarded me with some interest. "I wouldn't have thought he was your type either."

"He's not," I defended myself. "He likes- someone else."

"Who?" Lise demanded.

I blushed. "I shouldn't say."

"Tell!" Fox ordered, in search of blackmail material.

"Marnie Woodsman," Alys said sternly, "as your superior officer I _order _you to-"

"Fine!" I said. I was tired of keeping it to myself anyway; and besides, it'd been a full year since I'd found out and nothing had happened. A little rumour might push them into actually doing something- Aminah would kill me, but never mind. "He likes Aminah!"


End file.
